LAHORE: Farmers began reaching the city suburbs on Tuesday to stage a sit-in for forcing the government to accept their demands.

Responding to the protest call of Pakistan Kissan Ittehad (Anwar group), farmers from various Punjab districts reached Thokar Niaz Beg early on Tuesday and partially closed the Multan Road to traffic.

Led by Chaudhry Anwar and Malik Zulfiqar, they demanded that the Punjab government also fix the support price for wheat for the 2020-21 season at Rs2,000 per 40 kg following in the footsteps of the Sindh government.

They also demanded a flat rate of Rs5 per unit for agriculture tubewells, reducing fertiliser prices and putting an end to the token system in the subsidy given for fertiliser.

They also sought establishment of Kissan markets across the provinces where farmers could sell their agriculture produce on their own instead of through commission agents (arhtis).

Chaudhry Anwar claimed that more groups of farmers from Kasur, Khanewal, Okara, Dera Ghazi Khan and other districts were on way to Lahore, while at least 6,000 had already reached Thokar despite obstructions put up by the government.

Saying their protest would be peaceful, he warned that the sit-in would continue till the acceptance of their demands.

A delegation of protesters was invited for talks by Law Minister Muhammad Basharat Raja, who claimed after the meeting that the parleys remained successful and the farmers agreed to put off their protest.

But, Anwar refuted the minister’s claim and said they had only apprised the minister about their demands, while the talks would be held with an authority no less than the chief minister.

Published in Dawn, November 4th, 2020